Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center are continuing their fight against an affordable housing policy they say is unfair. Two years ago, the cities filed a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, accusing the state and the Metropolitan Council of violating the Fair Housing Act.
Both Brooklyns and the city of Richfield are accusing the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the Metropolitan Council of purposely flooding their cities with low income or affordable housing. Brooklyn Park Mayor Jeff Lunde wants the issues to be addressed soon.
"Certain communities have high levels of poverty and affordable houses and next door, almost none. And that's not by accident is what we're saying."
"It's not a good scenario in my opinion to have the whole city and it's residential base be people in poverty," said Brooklyn Center Mayor Tim Willson.
City officials say the current low income and affordable housing plan has led to segregation.
"Minnesota is very segregated," said Lunde. "We have communities of color and then next door you have a community of almost no color."
The mayors say they are not opposed to affordable housing. In fact, they say they are doing more than their fair share. However they want other cities to share in that burden.
Disparities among suburbs
The Metropolitan Council released these affordable housing numbers in August showing disparities among suburbs. The report showed 79 percent of Brooklyn Park is considered affordable housing. In Brooklyn Center that number is 94 percent. That's compared to 41 percent in Plymouth and 48 percent in Maple Grove.
"If you look across the metro and you see other cities that are doing virtually nothing, for affordable housing it gets to be a concern," explained Willson.
The Met Council estimates include ownership housing in addition to rental housing (most of the affordable housing in these estimates is not subsidized rental housing, but ownership housing developed decades ago that has aged into affordability).
The cities have a long list of proposals aimed at ending concentrated areas of poverty as well as setting up a fair housing center that ensures requirements of the Fair Housing Act are met.
"We want to keep our city looking well, safe and a good community," said Willson.
The cities are asking HUD to restart conciliation talks between them and the state of Minnesota. The last time the parties met was back in February. Channel 12 News also reached out to the Met Council and Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. They would not comment due to the ongoing resolution process.
Sonya Goins, reporting
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Channel 12 is on Comcast cable in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis and includes the cities Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale.

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